Rick Perlstein Quotes
When legitimately constituted state authority stands down in the face of armed threats, the very foundation of the republic is in danger.
Perlstein, Rick. "The Bundy Standoff and the Right." The Nation, 24 Apr. 2014.
The incident to which he referred was Islamic extremist terrorists attacking with assault weapons a group of unarmed tourists killing over 30. Tunisia, although it has a large majority Muslim population, became a secular republic after its Arab Spring revolution. Tunisia's economy is dependent on tourism, which is diminished by the fear of more terrorist attacks.
The bipartisan Presidential Commission had unanimously made 41 recommendations to prevent future terrorist attacks. While the Bush Administration and Congress implemented a few many of the more critical ones were left unaddressed. The commission on its final day issued a report card giving failing grades to both the White House and the Republican-controlled Congress.
Defending a large expenditure for police protection:
One of the major problems in the Palestinian Territory is that a very large proportion of the population is armed with automatic assault weapons. Minor disputes end up with deadly killings and political disputes often result in major shootouts. He argues that it is the government alone that should have the monopoly on weapons and arms.
L. P. Jacks
The sectional and special interests and their money made that very difficult for most politicians to do.
Eric S. Perlstein is an American historian and journalist who has garnered recognition for his chronicles of the 1960s and 1970s, and the American conservative movement. The author of three bestselling books, Perlstein received the 2001 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for his first book, Before the Storm: Barry Goldwater and the Unmaking of the American Consensus. Politico has dubbed him "a chronicler extraordinaire of modern conservatism."
